Weekly Digest. Top News of EU Project Pravo-Justice (February 5 – 11, 2024)

The Team of EU Project Pravo-Justice strives to keep the public informed of the most important events and achievements in the field of justice sector reforms, which are implemented with the support of the Project. Thus, we would like to bring to your attention the first issue of the Weekly Digest – top news of EU Project Pravo-Justice from February 5 to 11, 2024.

• On February 2-4, Kyiv School of Economics, supported by EU Project Pravo-Justice, hosted the 28th National Stage of the Philip Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. As a result of intense several-day intellectual competitions, the team of law students of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv won first prize. The second place was taken by the Ukrainian Catholic University team. All of them will participate in the International Final Competition, which will take place at the end of March in the US capital – Washington DC.

• On February 5, was held the first meeting of the Selection Commission for the competition-based selection for positions in the Disciplinary Inspectors Service. At the meeting, among others, the Chair of the Selection Commission was elected. This is Reda Moliene, former head of the National Court Administration of Lithuania. Deputy Chair was also appointed; Olha Popikova, member of the High Council of Justice, has become one.

• On February 7, experts of EU Project Pravo-Justice took place in the round table “Sanctions and Their Role in the Restoration of Ukraine: Effectiveness of Legal Relations.”

At the event, Iryna Zharonkina, Enforcement and Protection of Property Rights Component Lead, EU Project Pravo-Justice, noted that the sanctions tool had been used in EU countries for a long time. However, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, its application started significantly affecting business in the countries which impose sanction restrictions. Therefore, the issue of finding out the economic effect of the sanction policy, in particular through insolvency procedures and enforcement of court decisions, has come up.

In turn, Oleh Mykhaliuk, Key Expert on justice in the economic sector, EU Project Pravo-Justice”, briefed the participants to the event on the key findings of an analytical study on the possible impact of sanctions on the execution of court decisions. .

• On February 9, the Kremenets Taras Shevchenko Regional Humanitarian and Pedagogical Academy, the Kremenets District Court and the Kremenets-Busky Free Legal Aid Department signed a Memorandum of Cooperation as part of the Court Volunteer Service project implemented within the framework of the Model Court Initiative.

According to Anna Adamska-Gallant, Senior International Expert on Judicial Reform with EU Project Pravo-Justice, Introducing volunteer services in Ukrainian courts is an integral element of judicial reform. For her part, Svitlana Maistruk, Court Modernization Key Expert of EU Project Pravo-Justice, assured that the Project would further contribute to developing the Initiative.

• Besides, last week, the Advisory Group of Experts announced the dates of interviews with the candidates to judicial positions at the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. The interviews will start on March 2 and last until March 8 inclusive.